STATE  OF  ILLINOIS 

HIGHWAY   COMMISSION 

BULLETIN  NO.  4. 


Crushed  Stone  Prepared  by 

Convict  Labor 


and 


Rules  for  Its  Use. 


COMMISSION 

EDMUND  J.  JAMES,  Chairman, 
JOSEPH  A.  FULKERSON, 
LAFAYETTE  FUNK. 

A.  N.  JOHNSON,  State  Engineer. 


Springfield,  Illinois, 
March,  1909. 


SPRINGFIELD,  ILLINOIS: 
Illinois  State  Journal  Co.,  State  Printers, 

1909. 


STATE  OF  ILLINOIS 

HIGHWAY   COMMISSION 

BULLETIN  NO.  4. 


Crushed  Stone  Prepared  by 

Convict  Labor 


and 


Rules  for  Its  Use. 


COMMISSION 

EDMUND  J.  JAMES,  Chairman, 
JOSEPH  A.  FULKERSON, 
LAFAYETTE  FUNK. 

A.  N.  JOHNSON,  State  Engineer. 


Springfield,  Illinois, 
March,  1909. 


SPRINGFIELD,   ILLINOIS: 

Illinois  State  Journal  Co.,  State  Printers, 

1909. 


a: 


Illinois  Highway  Commission. 


til     NO.    4.    PI.    1. 


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Crushed  Stone  Prepared  at  the  Penitentiaries. 


Law  Regarding  Convict  Labor  on  Road  Material,  Etc. 

An  Act  to  amend  section  2  of  an  Act  entitled,  "An  Act  authorizing  and  em- 
powering the  employment  of  convicts  and  prisoners  in  the  penal  and  re- 
formatory institutions  of  the  State  of  Illinois  in  the  manufacture  of  tile 
and  culvert  pipe  for  road  drainage  purposes,  and  in  the  manufacture  of 
machinery,  tools  and  appliances  for  the  building,  maintaining  and  repair- 
ing of  the  wagon  roads  of  the  State,  and  for  preparing  road  building  and 
ballasting  material,  upon  the  requisition  of  the  State  Highivay  Commis- 
sion,^ approved  May  IS,  1905,  in  force  July  1,  1905. 

Section  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  People  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  represented 
in  the  General  Assembly:  That  section  2  of  an  Act  entitled,  "An  Act  author- 
izing and  empowering  the  employment  of  convicts  and  prisoners  in  the  penal 
and  reformatory  institutions  of  the  State  of  Illinois  in  the  manufacture  of 
tile  and  culvert  pipe  for  road  drainage  purposes,  and  in  the  manufacture  of 
machinery,  tools  and  appliances  for  the  building,  maintaining  and  repairing 
of  the  wagon  roads  of  the  State;  and  for  preparing  road  building  and  ballast- 
ing material  upon  the  requisition  of  the  State  Highway  Commission,"  ap- 
proved May  18,  1905,  in  force  July  1,  1905,  be  and  the  same  is  hereby  amended 
so  as  to  read  as  follows: 

§  2.  The  commissioners  of  highways  in  any  township  in  counties  under 
township  organization  or  the  commissioners  of  highways  or  boards  of  county 
commissioners  in  counties  not  under  township  organization,  may  make  ap- 
plication to  the  said  State  Highway  Commission  for  such  road  building  ma- 
terial, tile,  culvert  pipe,  road  making  machinery,  tools  and  other  appliances 
as  may  be  needed  or  required  by  them  for  the  construction,  improvement  or 
repairing  of  the  wagon  roads  in  their  respective  townships  or  road  districts, 
and  where  by  agreement  of  the  commissioners  of  highways  in  counties  under 
township  organization,  or  the  commissioners  of  highways  or  boards  of  county 
commissioners  in  counties  not  under  township  organization,  as  the  case  may 
be,  with  the  city  council  of  any  city,  or  the  board  of  trustees  of  any  village 
within  the  limits  of  such  town,  any  gravel,  rock,  macadam  or  other  hard  road 
is  extended  within  or  through  the  corporate  limits  of  such  city  or  village  then 
for  the  construction,  improvement  or  repairing  of  so  much  of  said  road  as 
lies  within  the  corporate  limits  of  such  city  or  village,  provided  such  exten- 
sion within  such  city  or  village  shall  be  of  the  same  cost  and  kind  of  ma- 
terial as  the  road  outside  such  city  or  village,  obligating  themselves  to  use 
such  material  according  to  the  rules  and  regulations  formulated  and  approved 
by  the  State  Highway  Commission. 
Approved  June  3,  1907. 

Revised  Law  Concerning  the  Use  of  Free  Macadam. 

The  law  which  provides  for  the  distribution  of  crushed  stone,  pre- 
pared at  the  penitentiaries  has  been  amended  so  that  this  material  may 
be  used  inside  the  corporate  limits  of  villages  and  cities,  provided  it  is 
used  in  extending  a  road  from  the  township  into  the  corporation,  and 
that  the  township  officials  give  their  consent  for  the  material  to  lie 
so  used. 


I  ONVK  1     LcABOB     l'l;i  P  \i;i  -    (   1.1  BHED    StONR 

The  employmenl  . 1 1  •< >r  in  preparing  crushed  stone  has 

far  proved  satisfactory . 

Many   inquiries   ha  a   received    from  other  states   in    regard   to 

the  details  of  this  plan,  which  ii  is  believed  is  one  of  the  most  practical 
ways  of  employing  convict  labor  in  road  construction,  [n  a  number  of 
.  more  particularly  in  Borne  southern  states  it  has  been  Ihe  prac- 
tice to  \\ <»rk  the  convicts  on  the  road  itself,  and  especially  in  North 
Carolina  and  Georgia  ;i  number  of  miles  of  road  have  been  buill  very 
successfully  in  this  way. 

There  is,  however,  in  mosl  sections  of  the  country  a  natural  ] •  r« •- 
judice  againsl  exposing  convicts  on  the  public  roads.  It  does  uol  Beem 
justifiable  to  place  the  opportunity  for  escape  bo  alluringly  before  the 
prisoner  and  to  impose  as  a  penalty  on  his  very  natural  desire  to  seiae 
this  opportunity  the  risk  of  being  shot  by  armed  guards  stationed  at 
a  considerable  distance,  as  a  protection  againsl  a  sudden  rush  upon 
them.  If  a  Bufficienl  number  of  guards  were  provided  to  render  the 
use  of  rifles  unnecessary,  it  would  be  found  that  the  cosi  of  paying 
the  guards  would  more  than  compensate  for  the  reduced  cost  of  the 
convicl  labor,  bo  thai  in  the  end  the  work  would  probably  cost  m< 
than  if  performed  with  free  labor. 

Another,  and  perhaps  more  important,  consideration  would  be  the 
very  natural  feeling  that  the  Laboring  man  would  have  against  com- 
peting with  convict  labor  which,  moreover,  would  bring  this  class  of 
work  into  more  or  less  disrepute. 

But  tin-  employmenl  of  the  convict-  inside  the  penitentiaries  or  with- 
in stockade-,  where  they  are  not  exposed  to  public  view,  and  where 
the  methods  of  guarding  and  other  precautions  taken  againsl  escape 
are  practically  tin1  same  ;i~  would  be  necessary  whether  the  prison 
were  idle  or  employed,  seems,  both  humane  and  practical.  CTnder  tic 
conditions,  there  is  no  additional  cosi  to  the  taxpayers  at  large  for  the 
product  of  their  labor,  so  that  whatever  is  produced  by  their  industry 
i-  bo  much  gained  by  the  community.  Moreover,  preparing  the  crushed 
stone  interferes,  in  this  state,  with  no  existing  industry  a-  the  crushed 
stone  i-.  in  alnio-t  every  instance,  used  in  places  where  it  would  not  he 
tried  unless  it  could  he  Becnred  at  the  specially  low  rate-  that  this 
method  of  production  Becures.  In  fact,  it.  can  truly  be  said  that  tho 
State,  tather  than  interfering  with  an  existing  industry  is  in  reality 
creating  an  industry,  for  the  total  amount  of  crushed  -tone,  even  if  all 
the  convicts  were  employed,  would  at  the  ino-i  1  ip  very  small  when  com- 
pared to  that  which  would  he  necessary  should  any  general  scheme  of 
road  improvement  be  undertaken,  even  in  hut  a  few  localit 

Neither  is  free'labor  in  any  wise  brought  into  unfair  competition; 
on  the  contrary,  work  for  free  labor  is  created  in  constructing  the  roads, 
which,  in  many  instances,  would   nol   otherwise  be  undertaken. 

There  is  also  another  point  of  view  which  recommends  this  method 
of  cooperation  from  the  fad  that  no  locality  i-  at  any  increased  ex- 
pense for  ihe  benefits  that  certain  communities,  which  secured  the 
crushed   -tone  prepared   in   this  way.  may  derive;   nor  would  the  ex- 


•amission. 


tin  S       I.  PI 


Illinois  Highway  Commission 


Bulletin  No.  4,  PI.  3. 


pense  to  any  community  be  less  if  no  one  received  the  crushed  rock, 
so  that  it  is  difficult  to  see  how  a  more  equitable  plan  of  cooperation 
could  be  devised. 

Additional  Crushers  Needed. 

There  is  a  great  demand  for  the  material,  Ear  greater  than  the  presenl 
capacity  of  the  crushers  can  furnish,  and  n  \yoi  in  if  this  work  is 

to  be  carried  on  that  some  means  should  be  devised  whereby  a  '■'•Main 
number  of  convicts  could  be  established  a1  other  places  and  atone  de- 
pots opened.  If  such  depots  are  established,  two  point-;  must  necessarily 
be  borne  in  mind:  First,  that  the  material  is  of  suitable  quality  and 
in  sufficient  quantity,  and  second,  that  transportation  facilities  are 
at  band.  In  general,  a  quarry  would  be  more  advantageously  bcated 
if  it  were  possible  to  ship  the  stone  in  the  direction  of  the  emptj  coal 
car  movement,  which  would  be  of  considerable  advantage  in  indui 
the  railroads  to  maintain  low  freight  rates. 


■ 


Rules  Governing  Distribution  of  Crushed  Stone. 


l.     All  applications  musl  be  made  on  the  regular  forma  furnished  by 
tin    S         Highway  Commission. 

Bach  application  for  materia]  -hall  be  signed  by  the  local  high- 
way  comm  re,  uh<»  thereby  thai    the  material   will   be 

irding  to  the  rules  and  regulations  prescribed  by  the  State  Highway 
I  as  required  by  law. 

The  State   Highway   Commission  will  maintain  a  general  super- 
vision of  all  work  where  material  furnished  by  the  commission  is  used. 
I.     The  general  method  of  construction  to  in-  followed  has  been  out- 
lined  and   printed.     These   instructions   will    be   supplemented    by   the 

Engineer  <<\  such  further  directions  as  the  special  «-< >i t<  1  i t i •  ki i 
individual  quire. 

If  it  should  be  found  thai  the  material  supplied  by  the  commis- 
sion i-  inn  used  in  accordance   with  its  plans  and  directions  a-  mad 
tin-  StMi. •    Highway    Engineer,    further  deliven    of  such    material    will 
stop   immediately    on   the  order  of   the   State    Highwaj    Engineer  and 
will  nol  again  be  continued  under  the  same  application  ui 
by  the  State  Highway  Commission. 

* 

In  .-ill  cases  where  tin'  shipmenl   of-  material    has    been    ~ t < > j » [ n *<  1 

through    Don-compliance  with   the   regulations  of   the  commission,   the 

authorities  may  apply  anew   t"  continue  tin-  shipments,  bu1   this 

application  will  be  taken   up  in  turn  with  other  applications  that   may 

be  "ii  tilf. 

Before  an\  application  will  be  considered  by  the  State  Highway 
Commission  the  local  officials  making  the  application  for  material  must 
;j;\\r  Buch    information   concerning   the    proposed    work-   on    which    said 
materia]  is  to  be  used  a>  will  satisfy   the  commission  thai  the  prop 
improvemenl  will  be  lot-  the  benefit  of  the  general  public. 

Tiir  State  Highwa}  Engineer  Bhali,  before  an  application  \<>v 
stone  i-  gran-ted,  \i-it  the  site  of  the  proposed  improvement,  confer  with 
tin-  local  highway  officials,  ami  reporl  to  the  State  Highway  Commission 
his  recommendation  in  relation  to  the  application  in  question. 

9.     No  application   for  less  than    1,000  cubic  yards  <>(  -ton.-  will 
considered. 

1".     No  township,  or  districl    (in  counties  not   under  township 
ganization)  -hall  receive  in  any  twelve  consecutive  month-,  unless  other- 
wise ordered  by  the  commission,  more  than  3,000  cubic  vard  tone, 


Illinois  High? 


HnllPtln   No.    4.    PL    4. 


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unless  no  other  applications  are  on  file  on  which  shipments  can  be  m 
and  this  rule  shall  apply  whether  the  stone  be  ordered  l>\   township 
county  officials. 

11.  After  the  date  of  the  approval  of  these  rules  and  regulations 
the  State  Highway  Commission,  all  applications  for  stone  on  file,  or 
subsequently  received  at  the  oilier  of  the  commission  shall  be  uumbered 
consecutively  in  the  order  of  their  receipt;  and.  so  far  as  practicable, 
shall  be  approved  and  filed  in  the  sam "der.  It  is,  however,  under- 
stood that  before  any  application  for  free  materia]  shall  be  approved, 
the  local  authorities  making  application  must  give  ample  evidence  of 
their  intention  and  ability  to  use  said  material  in  accordance  with  the 
requirements  of  the  State  Highway  Commission. 

12.  It  is  to  be  understood  that  the  Stale  Eighwaj  Commission  will 
give  preference  to  those  applications  from  points  at  which  experimental 
work  is  under  consideration,  and  that  shipment-  to  such  points  may  be 
undertaken  irrespective  of  the  date  of  the  application  tor  the  crushed 
stone. 

13.  Experimental  work  is  not  undertaken  by  the  State  Eigway  Com- 
mission unless  a  special  petition  for  such  work  lias  been  filed  b\  the 
local  highway  commissioners,  accompanied  by  a  requesl  signed  bj  at 
least  twelve  farmers  or  busim  ss  men  in  the  community  where  the  road 
is  to  be  located.  The  petition  to  be  signed  by  the  local  highway  com- 
missioners must  be  on  the  regular  blank  forme  Furnished  by  the  State 
Highway  Commission. 

14.  Before  any  shipment  is  made,  the  State  Eighway  Commission 
will  ascertain  the  freight  rate,  the  lowesl  it  has  been  able  to  secure,  and 
notify  the  local  officials  accordingly. 

15.  Before  any  shipments  are  made  notice  will  he  given  the  local 
officials  who  may,  if  they  find  they  cannot  receive  the  stone  at  the  time 
designated,  notify  the  State  Highway  Commission  to  delay  shipments. 
If  this  is  done,  no  shipment  will  lie  made,  but  the  officials  b\  so  doing 
will  lose  their  turn  and  will  have  to  await  such  a  time  before  stone  will 
be  sent  as  though  their  application  was  of  the  date  shipments  were  or- 
dered stopped  by  them. 


Instructions  for  Making  Limestone  Macadam  Roads 
Without  Use  of  a  Steam  Roller. 


Many  inquiries  have  been  received  as  to  the  method  to  be  f«>l  1« >\% ••« I 
in  placing  macadam  material  on  a  road.    There  is  Borne  difficulty  in 

■  directions   which   would   cover  all  The   objed    has 

always  been,  when  crushed  stone  has  been  furnished  by  the  commis^ 
Bion  from  the  penitentiaries  to  have  the  work  'lone  better  it"  possible 
than  Bimilar  work  had  been  done  before  in  a  particular  Locality.  In 
mosl  instances,  however,  it  is  the  firsl  experience  of  the  Local  commis- 
sioners with  this  class  oi  work.  Also  there  is  usually  hut  a  small  amount 
of  monej   at  hand  s<>  that  the  beel   methods  and  beei   n  are  not 

always  obtainable. 

In  hut  '.nc  or  two  instances  have  townships  owned  rollers  bo  that  all 
instructions  for  placing  macadam  are  given,  bearing  in  mind  that  a 
roller  is  not  at  hand  and  that  the  work  must  he  done  to  the  he-t  ad- 
vantage nosaible  omitting  this  very  desirable  feature.  Borne  of  the  direc- 
tions are  -t  forcibly  impressed  by  citing  a  tew  "don'ts." 

Pebpabiki;   i  hi:  K'oad  Bed. 

There  is  a  greal  temptation  not  to  give  tne  proper  care  to  the  prep- 
aration of  the  road  on  which  the  crushed  Btone  is  to  he  placid  and  we 
have  frequently  to  repeat,  don't  nut  crushed  Btone  on  a  road  until  it 
has  been'  properly   rounded  ami  graded   up  ami   all   hole-  and   dej 

-  tilled.     I  ton* t   mi  depressions  or  mud   holes  with  crushed  stone. 
Earth  i>  the  proper  material  to  use  and  it  is  vrerv  much  cheaper. 

The  firsl  -top  therefore  is  to  prepare  the  road  to  receive  the  crushed 
-tone.  This  i-  quickly  done  with  a  road  machine  or  grader  operated 
in  Buch  a  manner  that  the  earth  i-  thrown  <  utside  rather  than  to  the  in- 
side of  the  road.  This  i~  very  readily  accomplished  it'  a  furrow  is  first 
plowed   with  tin'  land  Bide  toward-  the  outside  of  the  road.     The  furrow 

should  outline  the  edge  of  the  macadam.  The  blade  of  the  road  ma- 
chine ie  thai  it  throw-  ;i  -mall  ridge  of  earth  to  the  outside  of  the 
.  leaving  the  center  portion  a-  nearly  undisturbed  a-  possible.  The 
width  of  the  road-bed  Bhaped  in  this  manner  Bhould  be  about  1<»  or  12 
feet  or  tii,.  same  width  that  it  is  proposed  to  have  the  macadam.  The 
center  of  the  road  Bhould  he  about  -i\  inches  higher  than  at  the  Bide  on 
;i  l'.'  fooi  road.  It  is  well  to  have  this  part  of  the  work  done  ,-i-  much 
ahead  a-  possible    o  that  the  traffic  can  roll  the  road-bed  and  i 


•    Commission. 


Pullet  In  PI.   5. 


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Illinois  Highway  Commission. 


Bulletin   NO.    i.    i 


A.     How  not  to  spread  stone.     It  costs  scarcely  any  more  to  keep  the  edges  even 
and  straight. 


B      Do  nol   ie1   your  road  gel   in   this  condition.     Ruts  like  u  ■ 
care   is  taken   to  rake   in   loose  ston<    as  often   as   ruts   form.     Compare   this   wltn 

plates  9B  and  10. 


it  especially  wherever  H  has  been  necessary  to  till  depressions,  tf  the 
traffic  cuts  the  road  very  much,  a  road  grader  should  be  used  to  Bmooth 
it  immediately  before  the  stone  is  Bpread. 

Side  Drr<  ees. 

Where  the  road  is  through  Level  country,  the  Bide  ditches  should  be 
broad  and  approximately  30  inches  below  the  center  of  the   finis 
road.     The  slope  of  the  side  of  the  ditch  towards  the  road  i  be 

about  one  foot  fall  to  every  four  feet  lmri/.n ntal,  and  the  side  of  the 
ditch  towards  the  fence  or  the  outside  of  the  road  could  have  a  some- 
what steeper  slope,  about  one  foot  to  even  two  feet.  Ditches  made 
in  this  manner  do  not  cave  in  every  spring.  It  is  only  necessary  to  cut 
the  weeds  to  keep  such  a  ditch  in  good  shape.  The  shoulders  and  dit 
should,  if  possible,  be  sown  with  grass  seed  or  if  this  is  not  practic- 
able see  that  the  weeds  are  cul  early  in  the  season  and  kepi  cul  so  as  not 
to  smother  the  grass  which  will  eventually  come  up  and  form  a  close 
sod  which  is  a  great  protection  to  the  sides  of  the  ditches  and  the 
shoulders  as  well  as  adding  greatly  to  the  appearance  of  the  road. 

Embankments. 

Through  low  swampy  places,  a  satisfactory  road  can  be  built  only 
by  iirst  throwing  up  a  suitable  embankment  so  that  the  road  bed  is 
raised  above  the  general  level  by  at  leasl  18  inches  and  should  be  high 
enough  so  as  to  be  well  above  all  ordinary  water  that  may  stand  along- 
side the  road.  The  embankment  should  be  not  less  than  22  feet  wide 
on  top,  preferably  25  feet,  and  should  have  as  gradually  sloping  s 
as  possible.  To  build  an  embankment  properly  the  earth  should  be 
spread  in  layers  of  not  over  12  inches  thick  and  wagons  and  teams 
driven  over  all  parts  of  it  so  that  it  will  be  impacted  as  much  as 

possible  during  construction.  The  earth  should  be  spread  at  first  to 
the  total  width  that  it  is  necessarj  to  make  the  embankment,  including 
the  slopes.  For  example,  if  the  embankment  is  to  be  25  feet  wide  ;it 
the  top  and  is  to  be  built  4  feet  high  and  the  side  slopes  are  to  be  two 
horizontal  to  one  vertical,  it  is  evident  that  the  embankment  will 
tend  to  each  side  of  the  road  for  eight  feet  so  that  the  distance  from  the 
toe  of  one  slope  to  the  toe  of  the  other  will  be  1G  feet  plus  25  Eeet  or 
41  feet.  Very  often  the  embankment  is  constructed  by  spreading  the 
earth  on  the  bottom  merely  for  the  width  that  it  is  desired  for  the  top  of 
the  embankment  which  is  built  up,  and  dopes  made  by  dumping  the 
earth  over  the  edge.  This  will  not  give  as  solid  an  embankment  nor 
one  that  will  hold  its  shape  as  well. 

(  lONSTEUCTION  OF  SHOULD] 

The  earth  which  is  thrown  up  at  the  sides  and  forms  the  Bhoulders 
prevents  the  stone  spreading  and  the  traffic  displacing  the  edge  of  tin- 
stone. The  shoulders  should  be  formed  before  the  stone  is  spread. 
In  a  number  of  instances  the  stone  has  been  placed  upon  the  road  with 
no  attempt  whatever  to  form  shoulders.     This  is  do!  the  right  way. 


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11 


After  the  second  layer  of  stom    has  I n  spread,  the  earth  Bhould 

should  be  smoothed  down  to  conform  to  the  surface  of  the  road  and 
should  be  sloped  towards  the  gutters  with  a  slope  of  one  inch  to  the 
foot  for  at  leasl  a  width  of  1  feel  on  both  Bides  of  the  si -. 

Blind  Sidb-1  >b \i\>  wn  l  nder-1 >h u \  ■ 

The  cut  >h«»wii  in  Figure  1  illustrates  the  various  Bteps  here  de- 
scribed. As  the  work  progresses,  there  should  be  cu1  through  the 
shoulders  a1  intervals  of  about  50  feet,  trenches  about  the  width  o 
shovel  and  to  such  a  depth  that  the  water  will  run  readil)  from  the 
road-bed  to  the  side  ditch  These  trenches  should  be  filled  with 
broken  -tone  or  gravel,  whichever  may  be  at  hand,  and  aboul  the  Banie 
thickness  as  the  layer  of  stone  in  the  first  course.  The  remainder  of 
the  trench  is  Idled  with  earth  so  that  these  drain-  do  not  -how  on  the 
surface  of  the  shoulder.  The  side  drains  and  Bhoulder  drains  tend  to 
keep  the  road-bed  dry  and  also  to  drain  the  shoulders  and  are.  in  no 
case,  to  be  omitted. 

If  there  is  under  -round  water  a-  shown  by  a  Beepy  or  quaky  place, 
it  will  be  uecessarj  to  run  a  tile  drain  through  such  places  and  carry 
it  to  an  outlet  in  the  side  ditches.  If  this  is  not  done,  do  amount  of 
stone  which  could  be  put  in  such  a  place  will  be  effective  to  prevent  a 
mud-hole  from  eventually  forming.     In  very  level  country  where  s 

• 

drainage  is  difficult  to  secure,  it  is  important  to  have  the  center  of  the 
road  elevated  as  much  as  possible  so  that  the  foundation  of  broken 
stone  will  at  all  times  be  well  above  the  level  of  the  wat<  r  in  the  side 
ditch 


Figure   No.    2— Sketch   illustrating  position    of    lateral    drains,    which    should    be 
cut  as  soon  as  roadbed  is  shaped  so  as  to    drain    water    from    the  !    to    the 

side   ditches. 


12 

Spreading  Fibsi  <  01  asi  oj  Stonb. 

-•nil  step  is  to  Bpread  the  I  Btone. 

I .  it  ifl  planned  to  put  a  LO-inch  layer  on  the  road,  don't  put  it  all  on 
in  one  layer,     h  Bhould  be  pul  on  in  two  layers.     \-  practically  all  the 

j-t»n btainable  in  Illinois  is  limestone  which  is  but  moderately  hard, 

better  to  reverse  the  usual  order  of  making  a  Btone  road  and  put 
in  the  firsl  or  on  the  bottom  <>f  the  road  the  l '  L.  vat  ma- 

il which  should  be  evenly  spread  for  a  thickness  of  four  to  five  in< 
A  Btrong-toothed  rake  lb  one  of  the  best  implements  of  the  road  maker. 
Stone 'thai  is  Bpread  by  a  rake  will  be  stirred  up  and  the  small  pieces 
will   take  their   natural   position   at    the  bottom   of  the   layer  and   tho 
stone  will,  therefore,  compact  \>-r\   much  more  quickly  and  the  la 
pieces  will  not  tend  to  work  to  the  Burface  as  they  will  inevitably  do  if 
placed  nt   the  bottom.     As  thej   come  to  the  surface  the  whole   ! 
is  disturbed  and  loosened. 

\  Btrong  toothed  harrow  i-  recommended  as  an  excellent  means  to 
Bettle  the  -tone  in  place  after  it  has  been  evenly  Bpread.  Bach  layer  of 
.-ton.-  should  be  harrowed  thoroughly. 

SPRE  M'l  $Q   Si;.  OND  <  lOl  BSE  01    STONE. 

Tile     lle\t      Step     i-     to     -pl'ead     the     -ecolid      hlVef     or     top     coll'  This 

should  consist  of  the  three  inch  materia]  which  is  evenly  Bpread  with 
rake.-  as  in  the  case  of  the  lower  course  of  stone. 

\  word  should  be  Baid  about  method  used  to  spread  -tone.  The 
itial  thing  i-  to  gel  an  even  layer  of  material.  This  cannot  be 
done  it  the  -tone  is  raked  from  a  pile  as  it  is  dumped  upon  the  road 
center  of  a  pile  of  stone  i-  always  more  compact  than  the  ma- 
terial that  i-  raked  to  the  edges.  It  is  therefore,  necessary  that 
all  the  stone  is  rehandled. 

A  \<'i-y  convenient  way  to  measure  the  thickness  to  which  the  -tone 
i-  Bpread  i-  by  blocks  of  wood.  It  the  material  i-  to  he  Bpread  •">  inches 
thick,  then  the  blocks  Bhould  he  cut  to  measure  •"»  indie-  in  all  di- 
mensions -o  thai  no  matter  which  way  the  block  may  lie  Bet,  it  will  he 
li\e  inches  high.  At  Least  twelve  of  these  blocks  should  he  made. 
They  should  he  set  three  in  a  row  upon  the  roadbed,  one  in  the  center 
ami  one  "u  either  Bide.  Three  more  Bhould  be  placed  aero—  the  mad- 
Led   in  a  similar  position  about   -i\  or  eight   feet    from  the  iir.-t    row. 

As  soon  a-  the  -t i-  spread  around  the  first  row  of  blocks,  they  are 

taken  out   and  Bel   ahead  ami   the  pri  repeated.     There  Bhould   he 

a  similar  set  of  blocks  for  each  layer  of  -tone.  A-  before  uoted,  the 
road-bed  should  he  shaped  true  enough  so  a-  not  to  require  more  -ton'' 

in  one  place  than  in  another  to  -eciire  an  even  Burface. 

Stone   cannot    be   Bpread    "by   eye."      When    it    i-   home    in    mind    that 
a  variation  of  imi   one  inch   in  thickness  means  ".'  II   ton-  per  mil* 
road.   12   feet   wide,  the  importance  of  using  only  so  much  material  a-  i- 
necessary   t-  evident. 


Illinois  Highway  Commission 


BnllPtln  No.   4.   PI.   8. 


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Illinois  highway  Commission. 


Bulletin  No.  4,  PI.   !). 


A.  Using  road  drag  to  smooth  the  surface  and  till  in  Incipient  ruts.  If  ruts  be- 
come an  inch  or  two  deep  it  will  be  necessary  to  fill  them  with  pieces  of  stone  as 
the  screenings  will  soon  grind  up  and  blow  away. 


;:.    This  shows  a  finished  road. 

filled  to  make  an  even  grade. 


Note    how    tin'    hills   have    I n    cut    and    hollows 


13 

Sometimes  Btakes  arc  set  on  either  Bide  of    the    road    and    a    string 
fcched  from  one  to  the  other.    The  Btone  can  be  very  evenly  spread 
by  this  method  but  ii  is  fax  more  bother  than  the  use  of  the  blocks  and 
is  no  more  accurate. 

Si  REBNING8  OB    BlNDEE   COUBSB. 

Alter  the  last  or  second  course  is  spread  and  the  shoulders  have 
been  formed,  the  road  ib  ready  for  the  screenings  or  Btone  dust  Each 
shovelful  of  screenings  should  be  Bpread  in  Buch  a  manner  that  it  will 
arge  an  area  as  possible,  thus  Bweeping  the  screenings  into 
bhe  interstices  of  the  broken  stone.  Only  a  pail,  of  the  screenings  should 
!"•  put  nn  at  first  Allow  the  traffic  to  go  over  the  road  for  a  week  then 
iill  the  ruts  with  stone  and  put  on  more  screenings  in  those  places 
where  it  is  shown  that  they  are  needed.  A  small  amount  of  line  gravel 
makes  an  excellent  binder  lor  lime-tone. 

Filling  Ruts. 

It  will  he  necessary  in  order  to  obtain  good  results  that  a  man  be 
employed  to  go  over  the  road  frequently  and  as  fast  as  ruts  are  formed 
see  that  stone  is  raked  into  these  ruts  and  they  are  kept  filled.  If  this 
is  done  throughout  the  first  season  the  road  will  eventually  become 
compacted  and  fairly  smooth  and  a  satisfactory  surface  will  result  par 
ticularlv  where  limestone  is  used  which  is  comparatively  soft  and  binds 
readily.  Do  not  attempt  to  fill  a  rut  or  depression  in  a  macadam  road 
witli  screenings  or  pieces  of  stone  that  are  smaller  than  those  u>n\  in 
the  construction  of  the  upper  course. 

Instructions  fob  Placing  Gravel. 

Gravel  roads  should  be  built  in  much  the  same  manner  as  already 
outlined  for  building  macadam  roads.  Particular  attention  should  be 
paid  to  thoroughly  spreading  and  raking  the  gravel  so  that  the  finer 
parts  are  sifted  to  the  bottom  leaving  a  layer  of  the  larger  pebbles  and 
pieces  of  stone  on  the  top  to  form  a  wearing  surface. 

There  are  many  cases  where  the  grave]  is  found  very  close  at  hand 
but  of  such  sandy  nature  that  it  will  not  form  a  good  road  surface. 
Such  gravel  can.  however,  be  used  to  advantage  at  the  bottom  of  the 
road  which  could  then  be  covered  with  a  four  or  five  inch  layer  of 
crushed  Btone.  In  this  way  the  crushed  stone  would  go  very  much 
further  than  if  the  road  was  huilt  entirely  of  stone.  A  small  amount 
of  fine  gravel  makes  a  good  binder  for  a  layer  of  limestone,  in  fact  it 

ha-  been  found  to  give  a  better  ! d  than   is  obtained  with  limestone 

screenings  alone. 

The   usual  method  of  dumping  one   Load   of  gravel   at    the  side  of 

another  and  Leaving  the  traffic  to  Bpread  and  c pad  it  cause-  far  too 

much  inconvenience  to  traffic  and  Bhould  not  be  permitted. 

The  question  is  frequently  raised  whether  macadam  or  gravel  should 
lie  Bpread  in  the  center  of  the  road  or  at  one  side,  having  an  earth  road 
on  one  side  and  -ravel  on  the  other.  The  besl  practice  is  to  place  the 
macadam  or  gravel  in  the  center  and.  if  there  is  sufficient  room,  a  side 


14 

id  tan  be  made  <m  « * i 1 1  n  r  Bide.     In   nearh   every   instance  observed 

where  tin-  gravel  road  is  at  •  aide  and  the  earth  road  at  the  other, 

the  earth  road,  wherever  it  was  us  d  to  an)  extent,  was  soon  worn  down 

osiderablv  below  the  gravel  or  macadani  bo  as  to  form  a  terrace  ti 
prevents  traffic  from  turning  res  lil)   from  the  gravel  to  tin-  earth  road 
or  vice  vei  This    makes  it   more    difficull   to  provide    for    prop 

drainage;  moreover  a  road  constructed  in  this  manner  always  presents 
an  unsightly  appearam 

(    \i;i    in'   i  in;  ROAD  Si  i»i  . 

Appearance  counts.     It  is  worth  a-  much  t<>  the  road  as  to  the  hoi 
and  grounds  alongside  it.     A   beautiful    road-side  attracts   people  and 
enhances  the  value  of  the  property  in  the  neighborhood. 

The  first  1 1 1  i 1 1 lt  t<>  be  encouraged  is  the  growth  of  a  good  Bod   from 
th<  of  the  traveled   way  t<>  the  fence  line.     Keep  the  weeds  «  ut 

and  give  tli-  a  chance  to  grow.     Where  there  are  no  trees, 

them  out.    There  is  an  opinion  in  the  mini!-  of  many  that  trees  harm 
a  road,  claiming  that   they  retail]  Hie  moisture  and  arc  in  other  w. 

baneful.     Wherever  the  road   ia  bad   in  the  neighborh 1  of  trees,  the 

trouble  is  not  with  the  trees  but  with  the  road.  If  the  road  were  |>r<>|>- 
erly  constructed  and  drained,  the  trees  would  cause  n<>  further  trouble 
In  fact,  with  a  macadani  road,  the  moisture  thai  would  be  held  in  the 
Burface  in  the  summer  time  would  be  a  distinct  advantage.  In  the 
winter  time,  if  the  low-hanging  limbs  are  trimmed,  there  will  be  |>r.. 
tiealK  as  much  Bun  and  wind  come  upon  the  road  as  though  there  were 
ii'<  trees,  while  their  value  in  the  summer  time  cannot  be  over  stated. 

the  road  Bide  should  noi  be  cut  down  at  the  caprice  of 
an  individual  commissioner  or  even  ol  the  land  owner  alongside.  Ti 
are  a  public  asset  and  Bhould  be  most  jealously  guarded  and  cut  only 
after  due  consideration  l>y  public  officials  who  Bhould  be  chosen  for  thi> 
purpose,  or  have  these  duties  imposed  upon  existing  public  officials,  but 
in  any  event,  prevent  the  wanton  destruction  of  beautiful  shade  n 
mi  the  road  Bide,    (are  for  the  trees  you  have,  set  out  new  ones;  it  pa 


•     -    W.9  0. 


Illinois   Highway  Commission. 


Bulletin   N  •     i.    1-1.    in. 


